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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29648430">sweet hibiscus tea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns'>BananasofThorns</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caring Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, It's About the Parallels, Platonic Relationships, Ranboo is Going Through It, when isn't he though honestly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:09:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,169</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29648430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Come on, main character, is that really the best you can do?” Techno taunts.</p>
<p>Ranboo stills, swords still partially raised. “Why do you call me that?” he asks flatly.</p>
<p>Techno blinks and lowers his sword. “What? Main character?”</p>
<p>“Yes! That! I’m not— why? I’m not the main character,” Ranboo says, like he’s trying to convince himself. “I’m— if I was the main character, I would be able to <i>control my own actions and mind!”</i></p>
<p><i>Oh,</i> Techno thinks. For a moment, he's looking at himself, fifteen and fresh from Hypixel's less-than-legal arenas.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ranboo &amp; Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>552</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sweet hibiscus tea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>[title from Sweet Hibiscus Tea - Penelope Scott]</p>
<p>I just. am always many thoughts head full about the parallels between Techno and Ranboo's characters, so have a fic</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Techno finds Ranboo in the small wheat field beside his house, muttering under his breath as he swings his sickle with more aggression than probably necessary. He doesn’t seem to notice as Techno approaches, which is unusual for him. Techno clears his throat. Ranboo yelps, enderman-like, and spins; by the time he’s facing Techno, his sickle has been traded out for one of his two swords. His pupils are thin slits and his teeth are bared defensively. Techno waves, carefully stepping back from the sword at his throat.</p>
<p>“Rude.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Ranboo gasps, lowering the weapon, though his shoulders stay tense. “Sorry, I wasn’t— sorry.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Techno assures. “You wouldn’t have hurt me, anyway.”</p>
<p>“Right.”</p>
<p>Ranboo sheathes the sword. His pupils are still thin, his shoulders are still tense, and he looks one wrong move away from either bolting or breaking down. Techno sighs. Clearly, something is up.</p>
<p>“Let’s spar.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Spar,” he repeats slowly. “Part of your trainin’.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Ranboo blinks. “Okay.”</p>
<p>Techno leads them to the open space between their houses. The snow is going to make things a bit challenging, but Ranboo should know how to fight in icy terrain, especially since he <em> lives </em> in a snow biome. Techno draws his sword from his inventory and shifts into a defensive position, then raises an eyebrow at Ranboo.</p>
<p>“Whenever you’re ready.”</p>
<p>Ranboo unsheathes his swords, and the netherite blades glint as he twirls them like it’s second nature. Techno remembers him saying something about growing up fighting on Hypixel; it probably is. The crowds there were always after a show as well as a fight.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Ranboo murmurs, and charges.</p>
<p>His movements are sloppier than usual. He doesn’t teleport like he usually does when he starts the fight; it’s possible that he’s realized Techno has learned that move of his by now, but Techno doesn’t think that’s it. He’s been distracted since before Techno came to talk to him, and it’s interfering with his fighting. He telegraphs his aggressive downswing too much when he tries to break Techno’s guard on the first attack; Techno knocks him away easily and raises an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Come on, main character, is that really the best you can do?” he taunts.</p>
<p>Ranboo stills, swords still partially raised. “Why do you call me that?” he asks, head tilted. His voice is flat, and there’s a dark undertone to it that Techno has never heard from him before.</p>
<p>He blinks and warily lowers his sword. “What? Main character?”</p>
<p>“Yes! That! I’m not— <em> why? </em> I’m not the main character,” Ranboo says, like he’s trying to convince himself. “I’m— if I was the main character, I would be able to <em> control my own actions and mind!” </em></p>
<p>His shout echoes over the suddenly still arctic, and <em> oh. </em> Techno blinks and for a moment, he’s looking at himself, fifteen and fresh from Hypixel’s less-than-legal arenas. The voices had been thunderous back then, constantly demanding blood, and he could do nothing but indulge them day after day. He’d locked himself away both physically and emotionally after Phil had rescued him, afraid of hurting the man.</p>
<p>Afraid of losing control.</p>
<p>He shakes his head and forces himself back to the present, where Ranboo stands a few feet away in the snow, chest heaving and eyes angrier than Techno has ever seen. There’s an all-too-familiar desperation beneath his fury.</p>
<p>“How can I be the main character if I’m not even in control of my own <em> life </em> ?” Ranboo snaps, emphasizing the question with a slash of his sword that sets the frozen air whistling. “I’m not— I’m not <em> good, </em> I’m not <em> important, </em> I’m not a <em> hero. </em> I’ve done terrible things and I can’t even remember doing them and the only reason I know - <em> think </em> I know - is because <em> Dream’s voice </em> is in my head, telling me that I’m a terrible person. I—”</p>
<p>His voice wavers and cracks, and Techno is startled to see pearly tears welling in his eyes. “How can I be everyone else’s protagonist if I’m not even my own?”</p>
<p>Techno drops his sword back into his inventory and steps forward, hands raised. Ranboo watches him warily, shoulders heaving as he struggles to catch his breath. Tears stream down his face, already burning faint lines onto his skin, and his teeth are bared slightly in a defensive snarl. He’s trembling so hard that Techno can see his swords shaking; Ranboo doesn’t lower them, and so he stops just outside their range.</p>
<p>“Ranboo,” he says lowly, careful to not make eye contact, “can I touch you? Without you runnin’ me through with your swords?”</p>
<p>Ranboo blinks rapidly, all the anger melting from his form. “Yeah,” he says, after a moment.</p>
<p>He doesn’t drop the swords; his hands are clenched so tightly around the hilts that Techno can almost see his bones through his skin. <em> Ah, </em> he thinks, recognition yet again sparking in his mind.</p>
<p>“Can you—”</p>
<p>“I can’t let go,” Ranboo whispers shakily. “Techno, I can’t— I—”</p>
<p>“I know, I know. I’m gonna touch you now, okay?”</p>
<p>Ranboo nods, near-frantic. Techno shifts closer so that he can reach Ranboo’s hands and, very gently and carefully, starts to pry his fingers off the hilts of his swords. It’s even more obvious how hard Ranboo is shaking now that Techno is touching him; it feels like the kid is going to vibrate out of his own skin. He stares unblinkingly down at Techno, not even wincing as the tears burn his face.</p>
<p>Finally, the two netherite swords drop silently into the snow. Ranboo shudders, swaying forward like the weapons were the only things keeping him rooted in place, and Techno catches him with one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his neck. He pulls him down until their foreheads are resting together. Ranboo slumps further against him at the contact.</p>
<p>“You’re not a monster,” Techno murmurs forcefully, “okay? No matter what your brain tells you, no matter what the voice” —he stumbles over the word, catching himself on the plural at the last second— “tells you, you are not evil. You’re, like, one of the furthest from evil people I know.”</p>
<p>“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Ranboo whispers, squeezing his eyes shut.</p>
<p>“You won’t.”</p>
<p>“You don’t <em> know </em> that!”</p>
<p>He pulls away, eyes flashing. His tears have returned full force and he wipes them away angrily with the backs of his hands. Techno, yet again, is struck by the aching familiarity of it all. He raises his hands slowly, placatingly, but doesn’t try to touch Ranboo again.</p>
<p>“True,” he agrees. “But you’re living near two of the best people you could be living by if anythin’ happens. You’d have a hard time tryin’ to attack me or Phil.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know that,” Ranboo says again, this time as a whisper that carries too much weight. “You don’t know what I can do. <em> I </em>don’t— even I don’t know what I do.”</p>
<p>“So come to us for help, man,” Techno says. “Phil’s used to carin’ for what people would call...complicated children. And...I can fight Dream, if need be. I’ve killed him before, I’ll kill him again. He’s in prison right now, anyway, so just. Tell me if he’s givin’ you problems, still, and I’m sure I could bribe the Warden into lettin’ me bring a weapon in. Not that I’d need it, but. It makes sendin’ a message a lot easier.”</p>
<p>Ranboo laughs, shaky and startled. “I don’t think Sam would let you do that, but...okay. I’ll— I’ll talk to you. I promise.”</p>
<p>“Good.”</p>
<p>Techno leans down and picks up Ranboo’s swords from the snow, wiping the hilts off with his cloak so that Ranboo won’t be hurt when he takes them.</p>
<p>“Here. Figured you might need these.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Ranboo blinks down at the weapons. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>He takes them gingerly and slides them into their sheaths as quickly as he can. When he lets go, some of the tension drops from his shoulders. Techno nods and turns away, heading back towards his cabin.</p>
<p>“Let’s go, Ranboo,” he calls over his shoulder. “It’s freezin’ out here. I can either be cold or I can be emotionally vulnerable. I’m not doin’ both.”</p>
<p>Ranboo laughs, still slightly watery. It’s a start.</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>They end up seated together on the floor in front of the fireplace; Techno leans back against the couch with Steve curled up beside him as he absently runs his fingers through the bear’s thick fur. Ranboo sits cross-legged on the rug a few feet away, cloak pooled around him as he stares distantly into the fire. There’s an untouched, still faintly steaming mug of tea clutched in his hands. The silence is comfortable.</p>
<p>And then: “Does it ever get easier?” Ranboo murmurs.</p>
<p>Techno considers the question. He remembers asking Phil the same thing, nearly word-for-word, the first night the voices became too much after Phil took him in. There had been blood on his face and hands when he said it, and Phil had smiled, far too kind for someone who had just wrestled a sword out of Techno’s hands.</p>
<p>“Eventually,” he finally decides. “Takes a lot of time and effort, but. It’s good if you’ve got people to help you. You learn to tune the bad things out when they get too much.”</p>
<p>Ranboo snorts. “That sounds...unhealthy.”</p>
<p>“Eh.” Techno brushes a hand through Steve’s fur, smiling when the bear rumbles, content. “It gets better, I’d say. Not gonna tell you that it ever gets <em> good, </em> because I don’t think that’s a thing I can promise, but...yeah, it gets better.”</p>
<p>He glances up at Ranboo, who’s staring at him with wide, young eyes. “You’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>“...thank you, Techno.”</p>
<p>“‘Course.” Techno pauses, lips twitching into a grin. “If Dream gets too loud again, just remind him that he’s homeless. You can’t take shit from a man with no house, Ranboo.”</p>
<p>Ranboo laughs, some of the tension dropping from his shoulders. “I don’t think the voice is actually Dream, but...yeah, okay. I’ll try that.” He blinks, eyebrows furrowing. “Wait, if he’s in prison, does that mean he actually has a house now?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know if we can really count a max-security cell as a <em> house,” </em> Techno points out. Ranboo nods sagely.</p>
<p>“True, true, that’s a good point.” </p>
<p>He sighs, taking a sip of his tea, and the conversation lapses back into silence. Techno allows himself to drift as he pets Steve and focuses on the sounds of the fire crackling and Ranboo’s breathing. He doesn’t fall asleep, too aware of Ranboo’s movements and the fact that, even now, the kid is still on edge, but the calm is nice.</p>
<p>Eventually, after so long that the flames in the fireplace have started to burn low and orange, Ranboo sets his cup down on the floor with a soft clunk.</p>
<p>“Done?” Techno asks quietly; he doesn’t want to disturb the tranquility.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ranboo says, just as soft. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>There’s a long pause, filled only by the quiet cracks and pops of the flames, and then he whispers, “Can I stay here for tonight?”</p>
<p>Techno glances at him. “Don’t you have your own house?” </p>
<p>“I— yeah, but...I don’t want to fall asleep alone,” Ranboo admits, like it’s taboo. “It’s hard to tell whether the nightmares are real or not, sometimes.”</p>
<p>Oh. Of course. Techno should have realized that, probably; he understands the blurred lines between dreams and reality far too well.</p>
<p>“Sure. You can...you can take my bed. I probably won’t be sleepin’ tonight, anyway.” That is a lie, or at least not what he’d been planning on before now, but, “I can watch over you, if you want. Make sure nothin’ happens.”</p>
<p>“I can’t— I can just sleep on the couch or something, you don’t have to—”</p>
<p>“Ranboo, you wouldn’t <em> fit </em> on the couch. Just use the bed, dude, seriously. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t okay with it.”</p>
<p>“Oh. I— thank you, Techno.”</p>
<p>Techno smiles, softer than he means to. “‘Course, man. No problem.” As Ranboo’s mentor, it’s the least he can do.</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>Ranboo seems hesitant to go to sleep even though he’s clearly emotionally drained and exhausted; Techno almost wants to ask when the last time he slept was, but the kid has just started to relax and he doesn’t want to push it. It’s probably been a while, though, because Ranboo’s out almost as soon as he curls up atop the blankets on Techno’s bed. His cloak is barely large enough to cover him fully, especially since half of it is tucked beneath him. Techno rolls his eyes and, before he can think too hard about it, drapes his own cloak over the kid.</p>
<p>Fondness blossoms in his chest, startlingly strong, as Ranboo relaxes into the thick fabric’s warmth. Techno fights the urge to run a hand through his hair; it looks soft, and Phil would always do that for him after bad days.</p>
<p>“Sleep well, Patroclus,” he murmurs instead. The nickname slips out before he can stop it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading!! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated 💛💛</p>
<p>also, I shouldn't have to say this, but just in case: this entire fic is platonic. if you take any of it in a romantic way, including and perhaps especially the Patroclus line, please do not interact with me, this fic, or any of my other works. that's very weirdchamp bro /lh</p></blockquote></div></div>
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